
DAS FRÄULEIN (RETRO)
Director: Andrea Štaka
Production: Samir
Feature film | CH | 2006
81 min
53rd Hof International Film Festival
2019
The film tells the story of three unconventional women of different generations who live in Zurich and whose lives cross for a short period of time. What they all have in common is their old homeland: Ruža, a Serbian, comes from Belgrade; Bosnian Ana from Sarajevo; and Mila from a small town on the Croatian Adriatic coast. In the hope of a new and better life, Ruža came to Switzerland as a young woman. 25 years later, she seems to have reached her goal: she runs a canteen in Zurich which has led her to financial success. Mila also works in the canteen and saves money for her return home.
Ruža places great importance on a clearly structured life, both at work and in her private life. But when 22-year-old Ana appears and starts working in the canteen, Ruža’s life changes. She feels disturbed in her routine by Ana’s impulsiveness and directness, at the same time she is also attracted by the young woman’s zest for life. A friendship develops between the two women: Ruža slowly opens up, while Ana has a secret of her own, one she doesn’t want to face herself.